What amazes me about this thoroughly unbiased and important study in Scotland, commissioned by the UK's leading action adventure group Spice, is the astounding result that:Over half of men surveyed (57%) are...(yada yada yada)...using adrenaline activities for fitness, fun and fulfillment.

Gee. What next?

Perhaps the dairy industry will do an unbiased study and find that we are really in the age of the lactosexual man, and that milk--whether in cartons, a tall glass or boobs--is not just a drink, but a way of life.

(Ever see those scruffy guys with "Got Milk" t-shirts over their faded jeans...Lactosexuals!).

Somehow this article was very, very annoying. I think Ann is thinking about men too much today. Very unseemly. It may be a sign of undercurrents in her personal life (not to mention the continued irrelevance of Scotland to most of the world).

I have a problem with adrenosexual man. All that thrill seeking is a lame way to assert maculinity. If a man has to try that hard to show that he is a man, then I'm just not interested. Instead of primping in front of a mirror, now I have to deal with some guy jumping out of a plane to get my attention. That's just ridiculous. Also, I can't pronounce the word "adrenosexual" without being overly conscious of every damn syllable. If they want to pick a new label, they need to choose one that flows more smoothly. Finally, didn't the NY Times recently pronounce that the metrosexual had been replaced by the new gay vague man?

ah, but you know that "gay vague" will be replaced faster than "metrosexual", (which could be misunderstood as "sex in the city," or "sex with a certain section of the paper") because "gay vague" sounds like a French nose disease.

This whole thing, of course, is absurd. Guys have always liked this sort of thing a lot more than gals. Won't ever change. (I am, of course, talking means, not individuals).

Some people need this a lot more than others do. The problem is that it has disappeared in much of our work lives. How much adrenoline can you generate in the typical work environment?

With 5 boys in my family, my next brother is would be the adrenosexual. At 52, he is still ski racing competitively, including running downhill a couple of times a year (and if you haven't done that, let me assure you that downhill is a serious adrenoline rush - I did some in HS and college, and am happy to have retired). He has always been the risk taker in his sports life - but never in his business or social life.

Some are just driven that way. A friend of mine switched colleges after his junior year because a) he wouldn't get into med school because of his grades, and b) probably wouldn't have survived his motorcycle riding anyway. Instead, he now runs a Level-1 trauma center. Ever hand around a bunch of ER docs? Almost to a man, serious adrenoline junkies. Esp. in a Level-1 trauma center in a big city with its weekly knife and gun club.

But how many have that oppertunity for adrenoline? I am a patent attorney, as is that brother. He ski races. I don't need it, but surely couldn't find it in my work if I did.

Is the adrenosexual any more attractive than the metrosexual? Obviously, depends on the woman.

One big thing is worry. Some are worriers, and some are not. Both the Ex and the girlfriend don't like adrenoline junkies because they are worriers. Ex's brother is a (NJ State) cop. His wives love it. I could probably handle it, as I don't worry.

You posit it somewhat as if the guys were jumping out of planes to impress women. But that is probably only true at a very low level. The reality is that some guys (and, to a lesser extent, gals) need the fix of the adrenonline high. Some, it just feels good. Others crave it.

And, I would suggest, it is probably as much to impress the guys as the gals. I have always found it interesting that both sexes do this - spend their time impressing the same sex, apparently on the assumption that that will impress the opposite sex.

With guys, is is probably in how we are wired - the assumption that if you excel in male pursuits, you can take your pick of females. But, of course, chimp studies show that the beta chimps still get plenty of sex, fathering kids while the alphas are strutting around and competing.

"Be a man" should have the same androgynous tone as the word "mankind." Be a thinking and creative individual, who contributes to civilization by such means. Unfortunately, no one knows what "man" means anymore.

But maybe we can use that to our advantage.

Certainly, I carry some bias, but I have no problems doing away with the word "woman" and replacing it with "man." It's the same word, anyways. Call it an abbreviation. We need some word to acknowledge our shared struggle in life, which by necessity bears our kinship, along with the positive characteristics and goals that we all claim. "Human" has the same problem as "woman," it seems to carry an appendage to its essential root, which is "man."